On Producer Change: 'We Want To Work With The Guy Who's Got Finger On The Pulse'

AVENGED SEVENFOLD frontman M. Shadows interviewed METALLICA members Lars Ulrich (drums) and James Hetfield (vocals, guitar) for the latest issue of Revolver magazine (web site; see cover here) prior to METALLICA's headlining appearance at the Gelredome in Arnhem, Holland on June 8, 2006. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

M. Shadows: Why did you decide not to work with Bob Rock on your new album? And how is it working with Rick Rubin?

Lars Ulrich: "We're just getting started, really. 'St. Anger' was kind of an isolated experiment, where we wrote and recorded everything at the same time in the studio. But we're kind of back to the way we use to do it before 'St. Anger', which is kind of a writing phase and then a recording phase. Contrary to general belief, we're not actually in the recording phase yet — we're just writing. We've had half a dozen meetings with Rick, and he just comes up and listens. We're just kind of feeling each other out, kind of getting to know each other. Once we start the recording phase of it, which should hopefully be this fall, that's when his big input will come. In 1990, when we started using Bob, it was because Bob made all the best rock records that were going on at that time — MÖTLEY CRÜE, DAVID LEE ROTH, THE CULT — and he was involved in the engineering of all the BON JOVI records. Everything that was going on in the late Eighties was all about Bob Rock. And now, everything that's great about rock — from SLIPKNOT to SYSTEM OF A DOWN to the CHILI PEPPERS to MARS VOLTA, and even the JOHNNY CASH and NEIL DIAMOND records — it's all Rick Rubin. The same thing that brought us to Bob 15 years ago is now kind of bringing us to Rick. We want to work with the guy who's got the total finger on the pulse. And Bob was the first one to bless it, to say, 'Look, I don't know what else I can offer you 15 years later.' We finish each other's sentences. We know what he's going to say, and he knows what we're going to say. We made, what, like, five records with him? And he really had been the fifth member of our band for the last 15 years. As painful as it is, getting his blessing first was really important to us. So, so far, every side of it has been great."

M. Shadows: Music has changed a lot since you began, and I'm sure your influences have changed, as well. What drives you to continue playing, and what are your current influences in music and in life in general?

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